So, here's the deal:

Leave us your story in the comments here (don't forget to leave an email if you're not registered with us!) about how you have said yes or do say yes to safer sex. Maybe you started your sex life safer right from the get-go with chutzpah! Maybe you changed some not-so-safe habits for the better and are now a safer sex superhero. Maybe you contracted an STI in your life and have since been dedicated to playing it safer to best take care of yourself and your sexual partners. Maybe your story isn't just about your own sex life, but about something you've done to help a friend, family member or your community say yes to safer sex. Whatever it is, babble on and tell us all about it.

We'll pick our favorite response Saturday afternoon at 4 PM (PST), email you to get your address, and let the folks at the Body Shop know to send our awesome winner* a grab bag that will contain a bunch of their new Wild Cherry products along with a variety of other good stuff including condoms, limited edition Tantalizing Lip Butter, Sensual Massage Oil, and Deep Sleep Dreamy Pillow & Body Mist!

* The recipients of the grab bag must be 18 or over. Sorry, under-18s!

For more information on the campaign, visit YesToSafeSex.com. If you’re committed to staying protected and having safe sex, take the pledge on the site and sign on for a lifetime of smart choices. It’s your body, protect it!

Want to find out more about HIV (and other STIs), safer sex and how to protect yourself? Check out some of these links:

Comments

Mon, 2009-04-20 11:42

Anonymous

I'm another person who's been conscientious of safe sex from the get-go with my boyfriend, mostly thanks to this site. We talked extensively about readiness before we started our sexualrelationship, and made agreements on who was going to buy condoms and lube (we agreed that we'd alternate paying) and how we were going to deal with pregnancy scares (I keep a pregnancy test handy in my room where my mom can't find it). Three months prior to actually having sex, he went and got a STI screening done, and I went to the GYN for the first time to get a STI screen and a full checkup, and to get put on birth control. The only thing I didn't do was wait until I'd finish my HPV vaccinations to begin having sex. For the first couple months we backed up with condoms, but when I became more accustomed to taking my pills we took the step to relying only on the pill. If I mess up my pills during a cycle, however, we immediately go back to condoms for the remainder of the cycle. We always keep a box handy (and usually split the condoms between the two of us just in case the we're at the other's house and didn't prepare).

Recently I've found that a lot of my friends have started coming to me for safer sex advice. A month or two ago, a friend told me she'd had unprotected sex with her boyfriend and was wondering about Plan B. I sent her this site, told her the gist of what I knew about it, and cross referenced prices at the pharmacies near our school so I could take her to get it and she wouldn't have to pay too much. This past weekend, another friend started talking to me about whether or not she should start having casual sex with a guy she isn't in a relationship with because one of her friends told her it's easier if your first time is just with someone you trust. We talked about her decision, and she seemed genuinely surprised, but really grateful, about how much I knew and was willing to reveal from my own experience in order to help her out. I referred her to this site as well, in case there are things she isn't comfortable talking to me about but wants to know.

Wed, 2009-04-15 20:47

Anonymous

My boyfriend and I have always practiced safer sex from the get-go. We were STD free from the start, tested by our regular doctors, and I had had two pap smears before we started having intercourse. I was somewhat nervous about the whole situation, but Scarleteen helped me to know myself better and to know that I was ready to move forward in our relationship. I had been on a birth control pill (Loestrin 24 Fe) for about a year before we started having sex, and I made sure that he understood that I would not feel comfortable using the Pill as our only method of contraception. For our first few (well, more than few, actually) times having intercourse, we used condoms in addition to my Pill. Now, I feel more comfortable using the Pill as my only reliable method of contraception: sometimes we will also use withdrawal, but for personal reasons and not to avoid pregnancy.

Part of the reason I was able to say such an emphatic "YES" to safer sex was because of the information that has been present on Scarleteen. Not only is there factual information available about STDs, body parts, and reliable birth control, but there are wonderful articles that dispel commonly-held myths, encourage young people to take their own sexuality firmly in hand, and a general no-nonsense, educational, yet positive attitude about the whole thing. Because of Scarleteen, safer sex has always been a part of my relationship, and because of Scarleteen, I feel like other young people are now able to say "YES" as well.

My brother, I know, has questions, both factual and emotionally, about what goes into these kinds of relationships and decisions, so as soon as I am able, I will be pointing him in Scarleteen's direction so that he gets the best sex ed that I've been able to find anywhere.

If you're posting anonymously, and don't leave us an email in your entry, we can't choose your entry as a winner (as then we have no way to contact you for an address to send goodies to)!

Wed, 2009-04-15 18:12

Anonymous

I'd have to say when I started having sex it wasn't the brightest idea of my life. But at 15, I wasn't the smartest teenager. I remember that we always used condoms no matter what. The guy I was dating at that time wasn't the best in bed, nor was he the best boyfriend, but he always made sure that there were no quickies or anything without a condom. Kudos to him.
So after the relationship, I was raped twice. Which scared me away from sex and made me think all guys were terrible, womanizing jerks.
Then after another a health class that never even mentioned abortion, nor how to care for your body, an older friend pointed me to Scarleteen. I was drawn in by all the information I'd never even heard of before. Then, I went through another relationship (two rounds of not-so-safe sex, then I freaked out. After reading I'd thought I may be pregnant or have contracted a STD. Thankfully, it was not the case. I'm happy to say because of Scarleteen, I and my boyfriend are closer and more open. We even read Scarleteen together. And when we move in together (long-distance relationship, to let you know), I bet we'll be more at ease about sex and our own bodies, and if we aren't, we can handle it.

Wed, 2009-04-15 18:07

Anonymous

Last week I took the stage as a "sexpert" during a friend's variety show.
I did three sets of around 10 minutes each. The audience submitted written questions (to preserve their confidentiality and give me a little prep time)
Questions ranged from rudimentary and curious, to funny (or attempts at humor), to vulnerable and personal, to disturbingly misogynistic.
I was able to plug the local Family Planning Clinic, and the availability of a wide range of testing and birth control supplies available there.

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